Scott Chandler film review: Patriots tight end has struggled, now a key target for Tom Brady

Updated December 2, 2015 at 8:08 AM;Posted December 2, 2015 at 7:00 AM

Scott Chandler

New England Patriots tight end Scott Chandler (88) pulls in a touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
(Jack Dempsey)

When Tom Brady took the podium following Sunday night's loss to Denver, the wound still fresh from a blown 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, he probably knew that Rob Gronkowski's knee injury wasn't as severe as everyone initially believed it to be.

Gronk had been in the locker room. He had no doubt undergone ACL tests with trainers, and the trainers had no doubt passed along good news: The ACL feels intact. And Gronk, surely, had passed that message along to his teammates. Brady had to have known.

During his press conference, Brady was asked about Scott Chandler, the No. 2 tight end. Specifically, Brady was asked about the two catches Chandler made on the overtime-forcing final drive, the type of question that generally elicits a response along the lines of, "Yeah, those were great plays, and he's been a great player for us."

Instead, Brady said, "We're going to need to rely on him quite a bit. So I think one way or another he's going to have to be a major contributor for our team. And we'll see how it goes going forward."

Truth be told, no one in the organization can be ecstatic with Chandler, who has a reported cap charge of $2.25 million this year. The 6-foot-7 tight end hasn't been heavily involved in the Patriots' passing attack. He admitted to CSNNE's Tom E. Curran Sunday, "I don't think that I've played as well as I would have liked so far this year. I really need to start playing better. That's where I'm at. I need to be a guy who can be more reliable."

We examine where Chandler has struggled, where he's succeeded, and how the Patriots can use him going forward in Gronkowski's absence:

HOW HAVE THE PATRIOTS USED CHANDLER?: As an in-line tight end, lining up in the traditional spot at the end of the line, Chandler has caught 10 passes on 15 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. Not bad.

When he's detached from the formation, either aligned in the slot or wide in spread sets, he has caught 9 of 19 targets for 89 yards. That's a 47.3 percent catch rate. Not great.

In Buffalo, Chandler was hardly ever used away from the formation. If he wasn't in-line with his hand in the ground, he was in an H-back type role. Rarely ever was the 6-foot-7 Chandler split wide or even lined up in the slot.

His film from 2014 in Buffalo shows two common routes: A quick flare out into the flat, which usually doesn't generate much; he's not exactly electric after the catch. And secondly, the Bills had consistent success targeting Chandler deep down the middle of the field.

Thus far with the Pats, Chandler has been targeted just five times on "seam" routes. Brady has completed only two of those passes -- a 22-yard gain and a 25-yarder.

With Gronkowski out, Chandler will assume the role of in-line tight end and should get more looks on these types of routes.

MOST EFFECTIVE ROUTE: A hitch or comeback.

Brady is 6-for-7 for 62 when targeting Chandler on these routes. Obviously, these are high percentage throws, and Chandler can use his 6-foot-7 frame to essentially box out smaller secondary players.

BIGGEST ISSUE: There hasn't been a large sample size, but it's clear that Chandler has struggled making catches in traffic.

You can reasonably pick out eight drops in his 34 targets, almost one drop for every four passes. That's far too high a rate.

Chandler has four clean drops, including what would have been a 20+ yard pickup on a deep corner against the Giants. He also has four contested drops, or balls that he could have caught despite tight coverage. One example: Working the seam against the Giants, Chandler got both hands on the ball but couldn't haul it in before the safety arrived and made contact.

Against Denver, he couldn't pull one in along the sidelines against Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. Even if he did, the play would have been called back due to a Sebastian Vollmer penalty.

WHAT'S AHEAD?: If there's a silver lining in the Gronk injury, it's that Brady must throw to Chandler more often, possibly improving the duo's chemistry with the playoffs looming.

As Brady said Sunday night, Chandler must become a major contributor for the Pats. This is an offense that is reshaping itself in the absence of Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis. There will be plenty of two tight end sets when Gronkowski returns, and Chandler will be counted on to produce.